Move Records

10 February 2012

New release: The Shepherd and the Mermaid

Nineteenth century art song was firmly harnessed to the instrument found in every genteel home – the piano. Other available players were eagerly welcomed to the salon and editions were published with ad libitum or obbligato parts for violin, flute, horn, cello, harmonium, and the instrument outstandingly raised in status by Mozart and Weber, and well suited in range and tone colour – the clarinet.

Much of the music on this disc was long forgotten is symptomatic of the neglect of this repertoire. A ‘Lieder recital’ gradually established itself in the concert hall rather than the household, predominantly with voice and piano alone, and the twentieth century turned a largely deaf ear to the perceived sentimentality or Biedermeier qualities of ‘salon music’. Discovering items long overlooked can bring many rewards. One item in this recital, the iconic song for this combination, Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock, has always been admired and performed, and exerted its influence in subject matter and style on others heard here.

Further reading